The city is looking to implement a program next spring in the downtown core that was attempted last year by the West Seattle Junction to replace dumpsters in alleys with plastic garbage bags. If it is successful there, it could be officially implemented in West Seattle.

The mayor's office and Seattle Public Utilities worked together to create the dumpster-free alley proposal. Under this plan, downtown dumpsters would be replaced with bags that would be picked up more frequently.

Timothy Croll, solid waste director for Seattle Public Utilities, said the idea is to make alleys safer, cleaner and more usable for the public.

Dumpsters are often used to hide prostitution and the selling and using of drugs, among other things, said David Dillman, chief operating officer of the Downtown Seattle Association.

"There is a lot of activity with dumpsters that is not necessarily related to garbage," Dillman said.

Susan Melrose, director of the West Seattle Junction, said they had attempted to go dumpster-free using the waste contractor Clean Scapes, but could not because of the city's contract with Waste Management.

The dumpster-free proposal is part of a new waste contract the city is working on for the spring, Dillman said.

Croll said the program would use both Clean Scapes and Waste Management, with each contractor being assigned zones of the city. Clean Scapes would be largely responsible for the downtown core.

Businesses in the dumpster-free area would pay approximately $5 per 33-gallon bag, and the bags would be picked up at least once per day, Croll said, describing the system as "pay as you throw."

The per-bag fee would cover half the cost of the dumpster-free service; the rest would be covered by a rate increase for citywide customers, totaling approximately $1.5 million for 2009, Croll said.

Dillman said there has been concern voiced from businesses worried about the potential cost increase and the possibility that the bags won't be picked up on time, and while he can see the benefit of going dumpster-free, those concerns need to be properly worked out.

"We support the concept of dumpster-free alleys," he said. "But, we don't feel the idea has been properly vetted yet."

If those problems are solved and the dumpster-free program is a success downtown, then the city has a list of 14 other interested neighborhoods for possible inclusion in the program, including West Seattle, Croll said.

Melrose said the West Seattle Junction is still hoping to replace their dumpsters with bags in the near future.

"I've been very clear with the city and with Waste Management that we are interested in going dumpster free," she said. "I don't know how much more clear I could be."

In the meantime, Melrose said the Junction has been able to cut down on the amount of space taken up in its alleys by encouraging composting and switching to smaller garbage containers.

Michael Harthorne can be reached at 783-1244 or michealh@robinsonnews.com.